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1920's Lace Blouse - Peppermint Magazine Peplum Hack

Ellie MMonday, October 17, 2016

With summer fast approaching I've realised that I really don't have any summery tops in my wardrobe, just a lifetimes supply of oversized jumpers, apparently! This ended up being another one of those "happy disaster" type garments that I am really involve with. The lace application on the lower back gives it a slightly sexy 1920's feel that is very fun and cool (in the weather sense not the social status sense). While I do think that the pattern still needs a bit of tweaking I think I would be very happy to make this again!

Pattern Size:If I remember correctly, I believe that I cut the Medium, which was the perfect size for me. It was designed to be a loose fitting garment so I think I could have gotten away with cutting a size larger or smaller than the medium - but I am quite happy with the fit of the medium.Fabric Used:This is a lightweight rayon that I bought from Jack Textiles on Marrickville Road for $6 per meter. It's not a great quality fabric but I was originally using it more as a toile than anything else. The lace was actually some old curtain material that I bough from Spotlight a few years back.

Was It Easy To Follow:YES. There are no complicated procedures in this pattern and I never had any difficulties or confusion with using it. Alternations Made:Where do I even start. It's pretty obvious that the finished garment doesn't exactly mirror the top on the front of the pattern. I originally intended for this to be a really simple top that I could wear underneath cardigans and Kimono type tops. Unfortunaelty it didn't quite suit so instead of waisting the make I decided to let my inner creator loose. As someone who doesn't like to have their arms on display I knew that I wanted to add a sleeves, and I have been really enjoying this summery and feminine fluted sleeve (I stole the pattern piece from my Butterick 5030 pattern). I did however come across a slight problem as the pattern was never designed to be paired with sleeves. After inserting the sleeves I found that the fabric around the chest and back were really being pulled out of shape, so to compensate I extended the already V shape of the back neckline to just above the peplum. I toyed around with ideas of straps, patches, panels and more until I finally settled on a open back with a lace insert. It was relatively easy to do with the only things needing care being the pattern placement of the lace and making sure that it was placed level. Did It Look Like The Photo/Drawing On The Front When You Were Done:If you don't consider the alterations/hacks I made then yes, the bodice and peplum look exactly as I thought they would.